Boehner’s troubles with conservatives are just beginning

House headache: More than a dozen vocal conservatives are gunning to replace moderate or retiring House Republicans in November’s midterm elections, and Reuters reports their arrival could mean more headaches for Speaker John Boehner. The Ohio Republican has struggled in recent years to keep his caucus together on battles over tax and spending bills as well as funding for border controls. A further shift to the right could signal another round of showdowns and threaten Boehner’s leadership.

Cheney snubs Ryan: House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan has a new book out, and The Wall Street Journal picked out a few highlights, including former Vice President Dick Cheney’s snub of a Ryan idea. “Yeah, we’re not going to do that,” Ryan recalls Cheney saying after being presented with the Wisconsin Republican’s idea for dedicating Social Security’s surplus to reforming the entitlement program.

Smile, you’re on camera: Texas Gov. Rick Perry flashed a confident smile for his mug shot when being booked on criminal charges of abuse of power, then went out for ice cream. That’s according to the Associated Press, which reports Perry’s legal team will now quickly try to quash a case that includes two felony charges related to the governor’s veto last summer of state funds for public corruption prosecutors.

Rand, Republicans, race: A former aide to Sen. Rand Paul writes that the Kentucky Republican is reaching out to African-Americans like no other member of the GOP. “Not even close,” writes Jack Hunter in Politico. Writing about Paul’s response to the events in Ferguson, Mo., Hunter says Paul’s critique of police “militarization” is really about a consistent application of limited-government ideas. “If you’re against big government, you probably should be more skeptical of tanks rolling down Main Street America,” Hunter writes. “The citizens of Ferguson have certainly had this concern. Conventional conservatives should too.”

Steyer steps in: Climate activist Tom Steyer is in an unfamiliar spot, National Journal writes: at odds with many environmentalists on a global-warming policy. The billionaire’s NextGen Climate group is embracing the federal biofuels mandate, called the renewable-fuel standard, as it works to elect Iowa Democrat Bruce Braley in the race to replace retiring Sen. Tom Harkin. NextGen alleges in an ad that GOP hopeful Joni Ernst is a poor defender of biofuels, something she denies. In the process, NextGen is trumpeting a policy that some environmentalists say is bad for the planet.